Family Blood
by Brizz333
Summary: Every family has a past. The David family is no exception to this. When Ziva David learns of the lies in her life, pain from the past catches up to her. And now it is up to her to avenge her sister's death. With or without her fathers help. TIVA
1. Lies of the Past

Ziva David smiled as she looked across the street. Tali David waved to her, delight evident in her eyes. Ziva turned to the right and began to cross the street to meet her sister. Halfway there, Ziva felt a strange prickling sensation at the base of neck. Suddenly on alert, she glanced around the street. Nothing was out of ordinary. Scolding herself for being so paranoid, Ziva smiled again at her sister and continued on her way.

Before she was even able to take two steps, Ziva found herself flat on her back, ears ringing and eyes filled with smoke. Shockwaves of pain rocked her body as debris fell on top of her, crushing her between the sheets of metal and the scalding street beneath her.

~*~

"Tali!" Ziva flew out of bed, SIG already in her hand, safety off and loaded. Breathing heavily, she dropped her gun, realization flooding over her.

"Nightmare," she whispered to herself, "just a nightmare."

But it wasn't just a nightmare, and she knew it.

~*~

Special Agent Tony DiNozzo stumbled out of the elevator, shirt un-tucked, hair in disarray, and his suit jacket slung over his shoulder. He let out a loud yawn as he sauntered into the bullpen. Smirking, he plopped onto his chair and gazed at McGee, who was sitting rigidly in his chair, eyes straining at the computer screen, fingers typing frantically across the keyboard.

Checking his watch, he grinned. Fifteen minutes late and only McGee to catch him.

Without looking up, McGee spoke. "Late night Tony?"

Tony leaned back in his chair and smirked. "Wouldn't you like to know? Where is our almighty leader and Israeli assassin?"

"Up in MTAC; been up there all morning."

Tony's face developed a look of curiosity. "Really?"

Tim just grunted in response. Bored, Tony began to drum out the beat in his head with his fingers. It took the overwhelming scent of coffee and the sharp "smack" on the back of his head to make him stop.

"You're late, DiNozzo." Gibbs strode by with his ever present coffee in his hand. He sat on his chair and turned to his computer.

"Sorry, Boss. Traffic was terrible."

Gibbs didn't answerer. Tony once again glanced at his partner's desk.

"Where's Ziva, Boss?"

Tony followed Gibb's gaze up to MTAC after a moment's hesitation.

~*~

Ziva growled with frustration and barely restrained anger.

"You tell me this now? After how many years, you decide to throw this on me now!"

"Agent David, restrain yourself!" Eli David ordered through the video feed.

Ziva let out a harsh laugh. "Restrain myself? How do you expect me to restrain myself when I just learned that the man that killed my sister is still alive? May I add to the fact that my so called father blatantly lied to me about it for years!"

Eli suddenly looked very tired. He dragged his hand down his face. "I was trying to protect you."

Ziva glared at the man before her. "I provide my own protection."

Eli leaned back in his chair. When had they grown so far apart? His one and only living child hated him. Ah, well. Such the price of working in the Mossad.

Ziva watched as her father tensed. Suddenly he was in Mossad mode. Through gritted teeth he began to speak again. "Once more information is gathered, I will send for you. I assume you want to be apart of this operation?"

Ziva didn't answer; she didn't have to. "Good." He continued. "At that time you will be temporarily recalled back to Israel until the operation is completed."

Ziva continued to stand rigid, staring straight ahead. Eli paused, as if waiting for his estranged daughter to say something. Shaking his head, he cut off the feed without as much as a goodbye.

Even after the screen had turned black, Ziva found herself in the same exact position she had been in for the past ten minutes. Anger, loneliness, and grief attacked her all at once. Once, a long time ago, she had suppressed these feelings. Tali's death had left her crippled. Throwing herself into her training, Ziva had managed to numb the stinging pain that the thought of her sister brought. And now, just from a simple call from her father, she felt all those emotions rising up again.

Ziva shook her head and willed for the emotions to go down. She could deal with them later. Now was not the time. She turned walked out of MTAC. Sitting down at her desk, she chose to ignore the questioning looks she was getting from her teammates.

~~*~~

Hey guys, its been a while since I have written a story, so please bear with me. Just a plot bunny that wouldn't leave my head. I hope you enjoy. Reviews, I love. Even if they tell me my story sucks. :)


	2. Sleepless Nights

Tony took in his partner's disheveled appearance. The bloodshot eyes and permanent scowl should have been a warning to anyone who wanted to approach her. But he wasn't just anybody; he was her partner. He had every right to butt his nose into her personal life. With that thought, he stood and perched himself onto the edge of her desk.

She didn't even look up at him, which worried him slightly. Usually she had a witty comeback or a painful threat on the ready whenever he was around.

He reached over and tugged on one of her curls affectionately. She reached up and swatted his hand away. Finally, a reaction.

"Go away, Tony." She mumbled, still not looking at him.

"What's wrong, Zee-vah. Date gone bad?"

Ziva looked up sharply and shoved Tony off her desk. "Not today, Tony."

Tony, now standing, stared into his partner's eyes. "Fine, but we will talk."

Ziva merely grunted and went back to her computer. Tony ventured back to his desk. He was behind on his paperwork, which wouldn't have been a problem if he could actually concentrate on finishing it.

~*~

By the time Tony finished his paperwork, the sun had long since been gone, the office had cleared out, and all but he and Ziva were left.

He glanced at his partner. She was squinting at an old report on her desk. In fact, if he wasn't mistaken, it was the same report she had been staring at for the past two hours.

"Ziva." He called out softly. She looked up startled, exhaustion creeping onto her features. "I'm heading home. You going?"

She glanced around, realizing that they were the only ones left at the very late hour. "Yeah, I guess I am."

Tony nodded and began packing his stuff. He stood and slung his backpack over his shoulder. He passed her desk on his way to the elevator. Stopping he glanced back at Ziva.

"Hey Ziva." She looked up questionably. "Get some sleep."

She gave him smirk, as if saying "don't think I haven't tried."

Tony nodded and turned back to the elevator.

~*~

When Tony walked into the office the next morning, he gave a relieved smile at his partner's abandoned desk. He had worried all night that Ziva wouldn't go home. If there was anything she needed at this time, it would be sleep.

Tony spun in his chair. Why had he come so early? Tony shrugged at his own internal question. A strangled cry brought Tony out of his musings.

"What the hell?" He muttered to himself. Tony stood and listened for the strange noise.

Tony shook his head when he peaked around Ziva's desk to find her curled in the fetal position. He watched as she restlessly turned over in her sleep. Even her snoring was not present as droplets of sweat began to form on her forehead.

A nightmare, Tony realized. Reaching down, he placed his hand on her shoulder to wake her up. He should have known better, for he soon found himself staring down the end of the barrel of Ziva's SIG.

"Tony?" She questioned, looking at him disoriented.

"Easy there tiger." He said quietly, putting his hands up in surrender. Ziva placed the gun on her desk and stood. She stumbled for a moment, but steadied herself.

"Ziva?" Tony looked at her, for once knowing a joke was not appropriate at the moment. He gazed at her with worry, the bags under her eyes showing she got little sleep from last night.

"I thought I told you to get some sleep?"

Ziva shifted uncomfortably, and then sat down in her chair. "You did."

Tony attempted the Gibbs look. "Then why didn't you?"

"You are not my mother, Tony. Why do you even care?" Ziva turned back to the report on her desk. Before she closed the open folder, Tony saw a glimpse of the pictures from the crime scene; a car blown to pieces with a burned down shop behind it.

Tony shook his head. "You're my partner, of course I care. And you've been acting weird these past days. Do you wanna tell me what's going on?"

She gazed at him with steely eyes. "Not really."

Hurt, Tony returned to his desk. They stared at each other until Gibbs walked out of the elevator, coffee in hand, phone in the other. Gibbs snapped it shut and looked at Ziva. If he noticed her appearance, he didn't comment on it.

"They want you up in MTAC, David."

She nodded and stood from her desk. As she walked up to MTAC, Tony wondered what the hell was going on with his partner.

~*~

Ziva regarded her father coldly on the video feed. "I assume you have enough information to act on."

Eli David nodded. "Indeed. Your mission specs will be gone over in detail when you arrive in Israel."

Ziva nodded. "Is that all?"

Her answer was a blank screen. Ziva walked out of MTAC and headed to the Director's office. Using a very Gibbs style entrance, Ziva walked straight into Shepard's office, much to the objection from the secretary.

Director Shepard looked up sharply. "Officer David, what can I do for you?"

"Did my father send you his request?"

Jenny didn't answer right away. Instead, she placed a few reports back into the filer. Finally, she pulled out Director David's request.

"Yes, he sent it." She opened the file as if to read it.

"Officer David is to be temporarily recalled back to Israel for a classified mission. There is no set time as to when she will be back."

Shepard looked up from the file. "Is this what you want, Ziva?"

Ziva nodded sharply. "Yes."

"Alright then. You leave for Israel tonight. You may have the rest of the day off to pack and settle personal matters."

Ziva turned, but before she could walk out the door, Shepard yelled out loudly. "Be careful, David."

Ziva paused, but didn't turn back. She closed the door and continued her way out back to her desk.

~*~

"Gibbs, can I talk to you for a second."

Gibbs turned around and motioned for her to continue. "My father has called me back to Israel."

He tensed at this news. He narrowed his eyes at her. "Yet you seem excited."

Ziva shook her head. "It is not permanent. My father has requested my skills in a particular assignment, one I could not turn away from."

Gibbs nodded. "I see. When will you be leaving for this particular assignment?"

"Tonight. Shepard has given me the day off to pack."

Gibbs said nothing. After a moment he turned and went back to his desk.

~*~

"So," Tony began as he perched on her desk. "Miss David is returning to Israel."

"So it seems." Ziva replied, unnerved by her partners questioning voice.

"You gonna tell me why?"

"Nope."

Tony stood and walked around the desk to stand behind her. He leaned forward and placed his hands on her desk, her back against his chest. Their own little game.

"Wanna tell me why?" He asked softly into her ear.

Ziva paused, as if considering his request. For some unknown reason she found herself wanting to tell him.

"Come to my apartment when you get off. I shall tell you what I can then."

Tony pulled away surprised. Ziva telling him what she was going to do was the last thing he expected her to tell him.

"I'll be there."

~~*~~

Whew, another chapter. They are short, but will be updated daily. Hope you enjoyed the chapter. (You can always tell me so by the green button at the bottom of the page Wink Wink)


	3. Old Friends

The sound of soft knocking on her door brought Ziva back to earth. She had been sitting on her couch, drinking a bottle of wine, silently waiting for Tony to appear. What she would tell him she didn't know. Nothing too important, of course. She didn't even know why she was telling the insufferable, annoying Italian anything.

Ziva secured her SIG in her waist band, just in case, and went to open the door. Tony was standing there, pizza box in hand, with a grin that would have charmed any woman.

"Tony," she nodded, stepping to the side as he walked in.

His head went back and forth as he looked around the apartment. Nothing about the apartment symbolized her staying was permanent. Perhaps that was how she liked it.

Tony set the pizza on the counter. "How 'bout we eat, then talk. 'Cause I'm starving."

Ziva let out a small laugh. Despite the ball of stress that had been placed on her, she found herself laughing at her partners pit less stomach.

"Sounds good to me."

They sat down at the table, neither speaking. When they had ate their full, Ziva stood and made for the couch. Tony followed dutifully.

Ziva didn't know how to begin. She swallowed.

"There once was a small family. The baby sister, Tali, adored her older sister, Ziva. As they grew, they began pursue different dreams, yet they remained friends."

Ziva paused, but continued at Tony's encouraging nod. "One day, when the older sister returned from training, they had scheduled to have lunch at one of their favorite restaurants."

Ziva smiled softly at the memory of the small shop where she had eaten so many times as a young Israeli.

"When the oldest sister arrived, Tali was waiting for her, just outside the shop. She never saw the car that stopped just to the right of her. She didn't live long enough to feel the pain of the exploding car hitting her body."

Ziva tensed as she described the scene she saw so well every night.

"And so, with anger and vengeance, the older sister set out to cause as much pain to those who had killed her sister as she had felt with the loss of her best friend."

Tony's eyes widened. The report she had been reading was of the bombing. He gazed at her, unable to speak. He watched her tense body as she reenacted possibly the worst day of her life. Her eyes were hard and dark. He noticed her gun hand twitch, as if she was ready to shoot the bastards who killed her sister.

"This went on for a year, until finally the father had to stop his daughter. Though he was only her father by blood, for when Tali died, they had separated. They only knew each other as officers, nothing more. He claimed that he himself had shot the man that had ultimately orchestrated the car bombing. Foolish, she believed him, and went on with life."

Ziva stood and refilled her glass of wine.

Tony spoke for the first time. "I'm guessing he didn't kill that bastard, and now you are going back to finish the job."

Ziva nodded. "Yes."

Tony stood to stand next to her. "I have no idea what you are going through right now, but any time you need my help, call. I don't care what time it is."

Ziva sighed. "Thank you Tony. You have no idea how it feels to get this off my head."

"Chest," he corrected automatically. "Off your chest."

Ziva let out a small laugh. "Yes, that is what it was."

"When does your flight leave?"

Ziva glanced at her watch. "In half an hour."

"Can I take you there?" Tony offered without thinking.

~*~

Ziva dropped her bag onto the bed and threw her sun glasses onto the small desk. Mid-day in Israel had always been scorching, but sitting in her air conditioned hotel Ziva was unaffected. Or perhaps it was the fact that she never truly allowed herself to adjust to her NCIS surroundings and she was used to the Israel heat.

A knock on her door brought her out of her musings. With the comfortable weight of her SIG secured on her waist, Ziva opened the door.

"Michael."

Michael Rivkin gave her a tense smile. "Your father would like to see you."

Ziva nodded. Of course her father would allow her only a few moments to settle in. Though Ziva didn't mind the rush. She hated when she had too much time to think.

"I will be right out."

Minutes later, the two old partners found themselves driving wildly on the roads. Rivkin grasped the handle. "I see your time at NCIS has not numbed your driving skills."

Ziva didn't look at her partner, but instead took a sharp left, causing Rivkin to bang his head against the window.

"My time at NCIS has not numbed my skills at all."

Michael gazed at her. "No, but it has made you soft."

The car came to a screeching stop. "We are here." Ziva ground out, frustrated at the man sitting next to her.

They climbed out of the car and entered the impressive building where her father ruled from his throne.

~*~

Ziva wasted no time knocking as she stormed into her father's office. If he thought including her on the assignment would help nullify her anger, he was severely wrong.

"Officer David." Director David welcomed as he sat back in his chair.

"Director." Ziva answered back without emotion. Feet shoulder width apart; hands behind her back, eyes straight forward, Ziva took her military stance. Her father had taught it to her long ago, and old habits die hard.

"What did you find out?" Ziva asked after a moment of silence.

"Enough to orchestrate a mission." Ziva smirked. _When have they ever needed enough information to plan an assignment? _

"What we do know is that Calib is meeting this man," Eli slipped a picture on the desk, "a week from today."

Ziva gazed at the picture. "Who is this man?"

"Li Se, a freelancer from China. Our mole informed us of a meeting between him and Calib, the man who is in charge of many Hamas bombings, including the one that killed Tali."

Ziva nodded. "Where will this take place?"

"We do not know. But we do know who Li Se is hiring for his protective services; a man who I am quite confident you know...Eon Beinisch."

Eli leaned forward. "This is very important Ziva; we need to find out what the meeting is about before you do anything else. Is that understood?

"Yes sir. Is that all?"

Ziva turned and left the room. She had some people she needed to call.

~*~

Alright, another chapter. Thank you to those who reviewed, they were appreciated. And remember, I love reviews; they make my day, right along with Gatorade and ice cream. And, as I forgot to mention in previous chapters, I OWN NOTHING!


End file.
